On top of the poor pay for baseball officiating, after you factor in driving, wear and tear on your car and on your body etc.. the start up cost for a new ump is enough to dissuade any new comers. In my state, you are required to get fingerprinted which is over $100 fee. Also have to pay member dues at $100. Add to that fees for district processing, your uniform pants, jacket, shirt and hat totaling another $150. Plate shoes/base shoes at $100 each. Protective equipment (helmet, pads, cup, shin guards, etc can add another $150 easy). You have to spend well over $600 before you even make one dime. And being a new umpire you don't get the schedule the veterans do, work less games and only work JV or modified for less pay. You probably don't even make any money the first year. Hard to convince a new person to come up with all that starting money, put all those miles on their car, jump through all the administrative hoops, go to all the required pre-season meetings, pass all the tests, get yelled at by coaches and parents, risk personal injury, and in the end, not even make any money for it. I don't know any other job that would happen with. You really have to love the game.